29 Kisses
by Faelady
Summary: From the time she decided to attend Osaka, Mizuki began to change Sano's life. A series of one-shots featuring Izumi x Mizuki, using the 30 Kisses livejournal themes. Please note that "Missing Him" and "Lost in Her" are also part of the 30 kisses set.
1. Preface and The Best Goodnight

**Author's Preface**

All of the "chapters" in this story are really going to be one-shot fics or drabbles. I stumbled across the 30 kisses LJ community via an author I admire in another fandom. At the time, I didn't have an LJ account, nor did I really feel any particular urge to make one. However, I really liked some of their themes and the basic idea for the challenge. One of the themes in particular inspired me—our distance and that person—and out came "Missing Him." Then I decided, hey, why not try for the rest of the themes?

See, it goes like this. You pick a couple and write thirty fics, one on each of the designated themes (go to the community if you want a list of the themes). Each fic must also feature a kiss in some way—actual, imaginary, between other people, whatever.

So here they are. My thirty—erm, 29—kisses. Obviously featuring Izumi Sano and Mizuki Ashiya.

EDIT (08/11/07) At this point I have created an LJ and claimed this on the 30 kisses comm.

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Title: The Best Goodnight

Theme: #24 good night

AN: This takes place during Volume 6, Ch. 29 (if anyone really wants the reference...).

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Sano knew Mizuki had fallen asleep by the way her body slackened and leaned towards his, drawn by the tilt of the bed from his heavier weight. His glance at her face just confirmed it—eyelashes fanned across the tops of her cheeks, moist breath rushing through slightly parted lips.

His first reaction was one of exasperation, as it always was. How could this hopeless girl expect to keep up her masquerade if she was always falling asleep in his bed, leaving herself completely vulnerable? Did she not realize he was a guy!

Did she not realize how he felt about her?

Also just as always, his second reaction was one of satisfaction. It was only during times like these, when she was completely unaware of his actions, that he could freely show any of the affection he tried to keep so tightly bottled up. It made him perversely grateful for these otherwise tortuous nights. His need for her nearness that provided his incentive to protect her secret also produced the nerve-jangling mix of happiness and frustration he felt around her most of the time. It was only at times like these when he could relax and fully enjoy her company.

Sano wrapped his arm around Mizuki, settling her in closer and propping his head on his other arm. She fit perfectly against him, her back molding to his front.

He smoothed her hair back from her peaceful face, admiring the delicate lines of her cheeks, her nose, her lips. He wondered how all the other guys in the school could be so blind as to what was right under their noses. He was grateful for their collective ability to overlook the obvious. Grateful that their blindness meant more moments like this one.

When they said their good nights and went to their separate bunks, he wasn't tortured by her nearness as he was on the nights she accidentally slept in his bed. What he was tortured by was her nearness, coupled with the memory of nights like this when her warm weight was curled up next to him, her presence a constant reassurance in the night.

Sano pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and settled down beside her. As he drifted off to sleep he knew that despite the frustration, these good nights were the best.


	2. Stay By My Side

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Title: Stay By My Side

Theme: # 11 gardenia

AN: HUGE SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING SPECIAL HERE! If you do not want to know the actual ending to the manga, READ NO FURTHER. This fic paraphrases the actual last few lines of the manga, appropriately marked in italics. Remember, HERE BE SPOILERS. You have been warned! Also, some liberty has been taken with the description of Mizuki's outfit and the bridal bouquet. As the color of her dress was not specifically stated, I chose pink (so as to be obviously girly), and the gardenias fit the theme. I have no idea what flowers Rie actually is carrying. There's not enough detail in the pictures to be sure.

Disclaimer: Sano isn't mine. He's too young for me anyway, but a woman can drool, can't she? All rights and characters are owned by Hisaya Nakajo, along with three lines paraphrased from the Ending Special.

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It had been a wonderful afternoon, back in Japan with her friends catching up on old times and celebrating Sekime's wedding. Mizuki had been insanely nervous before the wedding, worried about her old friends' reactions to seeing such a blatantly feminine her. Never mind the fact that she had dressed as a girl several times while she was at Osaka Gakuen—the school festival, the Christmas Ball with St. Blossom High. Both of those occasions had been as a guy dressing up as a girl, or at least, that had been the guys' perception.

She had left so quickly after her true gender became common knowledge, she wasn't sure it had really sunk in for them yet. At the time, they had assured her that her gender didn't make a difference, that they'd always be friends no matter what, but then she had still looked like the same "male" Mizuki they had always known. Short haircut, boy's uniform, the only thing that had changed at that point had been their knowledge. Heck, she had still acted and talked like a guy, right up until she left.

Now, well... Long, wavy hair; sparkling flower combs and necklace; a delicately pink dress with a long, flowy skirt; high heels—yes, she was girly looking, all right.

So even with Izumi there to calm her down, she had been really nervous until they arrived at the wedding.

It was been thrilling to catch up on everyone's lives, to see how much had changed in the four years since she had seen them. All the old ties of friendship were still there, waiting on her, made stronger by the knowledge that she could be herself finally in front of them and they still loved and accepted her.

Yet, she was always aware of the one person who had always accepted her without qualification, and who had not often left her side during the festivities, even as afternoon waned into evening.

It was been a special day of celebration with long-absent friends, but it had been made even more special because she shared it with Sano.

As she had admired the decorations, the cake, and the bride's dress, she couldn't help but wistfully think of how wonderful it would be to do all this again someday—with her and Sano as the bride and groom.

The wish was fleeting, though, and reality quickly set in. They both had school to finish and responsibilities to meet before they ever even began to consider it, not to mention all the complications that would arise if they did get married. With families on two entirely different continents, there would surely be many obstacles to overcome. Besides, Mizuki wasn't sure what Sano wanted for the future, and she wanted above all for him to be happy. Going to college in another country was a huge commitment, but it wasn't marriage. After all, Mizuki had often thought that she was happy just to be by his side for as long as he wanted her there.

So Mizuki wasn't thinking of anything in particular as they walked back to their hotel room after the reception, discussing the bouquet tossing disaster of Nakao snatching the fragrant bunch of gardenias out of the hands of all the women present.

"I really wanted to catch that bouquet!" exclaimed Mizuki, thinking of how lovely it had smelled, and of the velvety texture of the blossoms. Pouting cheerfully over the loss of the gorgeous flowers, Mizuki never noticed the sidelong glance Sano gave her.

_"Really, I'll ask once I graduate from college, although I can just imagine our parents reaction. In the future, for the rest of my life, won't you stay with me?"_

Mizuki's eyes teared up, and she managed to get out a breathy, _"I will!"_ Then she threw herself at Sano and sealed the promise of the future with a kiss.

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Sorry about the double post notices! My formatting got screwed up when I submitted the first time, so I had to yank it and correct it. And for my readers...hope you like this! I know most of my stuff is short, but hopefully its still enjoyable. To the people who reviewed the previous chap.--thanks so much for taking the time! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!


	3. Looking Forward

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Title: Looking Forward

Theme: #7 superstar

Disclaimer: Not mine. All characters and rights belong to Hisaya Nakajo.

AN: Slight spoilers for Chapter 144. Not exactly manga based, but a hypothesis on my part of what Sano might be like during the year he and Mizuki are apart. I figure there's room for artistic license there, since we fast-forward through that entire year in the manga.

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It was at the third or fourth track meet of their senior year that Makoto Kagurazaka finally figured out what was different with Izumi Sano.

Kagurazaka was accustomed to sharing the spotlight with Izumi, trading the top spot back and forth between the two of them many times since Sano's comeback last year. He was always a formidable opponent, one that Kagurazaka respected for his focus and work ethic. Even the guy's younger brother, Shin Sano, couldn't quite match his drive and determination. However, this year it seemed that the other reigning celebrity of the high jump was even more focused than ever.

In the first two meets, Sano had been intensely competitive, even for him, and had managed—much to Kagurazaka's chagrin—to outjump him on both occasions. On top of that, Sano hadn't even so much as acknowledged his presence, staring off into space and acting as if the only person he was competing against was himself. He had barely even spoken to his own brother at the meets, seeming not to notice the younger guy's concern and exasperation. This had irritated him so much that he had determined to figure out what was going on.

Why was Sano jumping so much better than him?

Kagurazaka haunted a couple of practices at Osaka Gakuen, noting Sano's absolute unwavering focus. Noticing how he looked at the high jump as if it were both an obstacle and a goal. While he watched, Kagurazaka kept getting this weird feeling that something about this scene other than Sano's behavior was different, and it might be that difference that was causing the change in Sano.

It wasn't until the next meet that it finally dawned on him. That pretty boyfriend of Sano's, the one that stuck to him like Velcro most of the time, was now conspicuously absent.

"So where's the pretty boy, Izumi Sano?" He confronted him as they both were between turns at the next meet.

"What?" Sano's bafflement was obvious.

"You know, your boyfriend. That guy who always hung around you. The one that was with you working at that summer home a while back."

The bafflement cleared from Sano's face to be replaced with a wry half grin—the first smile Kagurazaka had seen from him all season.

"_She_ is home in California." Extra emphasis was noticeably placed on the feminine pronoun, which didn't escape Kagurazaka's notice.

"Wait a minute—_she_?"

"Yes. _She_."

It took a little bit for it to sink in for Kagurazaka.

'_So all that time **he** was a **she**. I thought there was something weird about that kid! Too cute to be a guy, but whatever. I just chalked it up to being a pretty boy. And did Sano... Yeah, he must have known. Still, what the hell! It's amazing that she pulled that off!'_

Despite his jumbled thoughts Kagurazaka refrained from commenting aloud on Sano's statement. The guy's business was his own, and whatever the circumstances Kagurazaka wasn't getting involved. He really just wanted to know what the inspiration was for this change in Sano. He had thought if he discovered the source of this new determination, then he could figure out a way to beat his longtime opponent. Now he thought he knew why his fiercest competitor had become even fiercer, and it wasn't something he could do anything to counter. However, if he was right, Sano wouldn't be a rival for the top spot in high jumping here in Japan for much longer.

"I hear those American colleges have pretty good track teams."

"Yeah, Berkeley's pretty good." Sano's gaze was unfocused, attention on something—or most likely, someone—in the distance.

"They offer scholarships?"

"Yeah. Competition's pretty stiff for them, though."

Kagurazaka made no comment at this. Now he knew competition was going to be especially tough this year, but that was fine. It was just the way he liked it, in fact. He didn't mind battling for the spotlight with a worthy opponent.

He particularly enjoyed messing with Sano, though, so as he walked away, he savored his rival's startled reaction to his parting comment.

"Well, you should still be able to get Berkeley to take you after you finish second to me this season. And when you get over there, give her a kiss for me, hmm?"


	4. Snowfall

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Title: Snowfall

Theme: # our own world

AN: Spoilers for ch. 62 (vol. 12). As per usual, a very short drabble. Should have another chap up in a day or so to make up for the length of this one.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Otherwise I wouldn't have to work. What I mean is, all rights and characters belong to Hisaya Nakajo, Viz, and a lot of other people who aren't me.

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The noise from the Christmas Ball faded into the background for Mizuki. The magic of the falling snow and Sano's nearness made the crowd of bodies inside the ballroom seem as if they existed on another planet. She stretched her arms and face to the sky, enjoying the cold kiss of the snowflakes on her skin after the heat inside.

The evening had been chaos, a mishmash of tiny crises that had managed to steal most of the enjoyment out of the dance. Rio chasing her down to give her the hair ornament and necklace, Nakatsu passing out, her dress getting stained, then the time spent hurriedly remaking the dress just so she could stand on the sidelines. It all had seemed to blur together until Sano had asked her to dance and taken her into his arms.

After that, she could recall at least some things with crystal perfection—the grip of his hand on hers, the weight of his arm around her waist, the way his dark eyes stared down at her, how the rest of the dancers seemed to melt away as the two of them swirled around the floor.

Now, she laughed in delight at seeing her first snowfall, and Sano draped his jacket over her shoulders. She leaned against him and beamed up at him, delighting in this moment that contained only her and him.


	5. Going Home

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Title: Going Home

Theme: # 20 the road home

AN: Another fill-in-the-blanks fic for that year gap, this time from Mizuki's perspective. Also, thanks to those who have been reading and reviewing this story. ( Yay Kashu! It's nice to see someone else from the ML on here!) I especially appreciate those of you who have stuck around for every chapter. Hopefully, with 24 still to go, you won't get too disgusted and/or sugar shocked and give up on me. Very slight spoilers for the ending chapter, Ch. 144.

Disclaimer: All rights and characters belong to Hisaya Nakajo.

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Mizuki hadn't really cried when she said goodbye to everyone at Osaka Gakuen, and she didn't cry at all on the flight back to the U.S. She just sat there, numbly resigned to being an ocean away from her friends, from her love. It wasn't until she was in the car with Shizuki, on the road back to her parents that she indulged in an uncharacteristic bout of sobs set off by Shizuki's attempt at conversation.

She knew she wasn't her usual talkative self. Even when she was unhappy, she generally wanted to talk about it and try and work it out. This was beyond words for her though, so she just sat in the passenger's seat in silence.

Shizuki kept glancing over at her, his brow wrinkled in worry. She could see him out of the corner of her eye as she stared out the window. He managed to hold his silence for most of the trip, waiting until they left the interstate for one of the quieter roads closer to their house to finally venture a comment.

"Mom and Dad will be glad to have you home again. We've all missed you since you left for Japan, especially since you only visited once while you were gone. They're a little upset over the whole boys' school thing, but they'll get over it pretty quickly. You know how Mom and Dad are."

The mention of home was too much for Mizuki's already fragile composure. She could feel sudden tears overflowing down her cheeks to drip off her chin. The tightness in her chest pushed out wailing cries that she tried to muffle by covering her mouth with her hands. She huddled into herself in almost a fetal position, curled around the ache of loss that threatened to shake her apart.

Through the blur of her tears, she could see, or maybe sense Shizuki's frantic glance in her direction. Hurriedly he checked his mirrors and then the car was pulling over to the grassy shoulder of the road. He threw the vehicle into park and cut the engine before unbuckling his seatbelt and turning to her.

"Mizuki! What is it? What's wrong?"

Overwhelmed, she could only shake her head and continue to cry. She heard him sigh and then felt him unbuckle her seatbelt, sliding her as close to him as he could manage.

Shizuki wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her face into his chest. Her tears dampened his shirt, and she could feel the comforting kiss he dropped on the top of her head as shuddering sobs wracked her slight frame.

"It's okay. I know you're going to miss him." He murmured against her hair.

Shizuki obviously thought she was grief-stricken over the loss of Sano. She _was_ grieving, not for losing Sano, but rather because of the sudden knowledge that she wasn't on her way home anymore. She still loved her parents, still loved the house where she grew up, but the road home for her lay in the opposite direction. Her heart, her home, was wherever Izumi Sano was, and the only road home for her was the road back to him. It was a road she wasn't going to be able to travel, though. All she could do now was wait, just as she promised him she would.

Finally managing to get herself under control, Mizuki sniffled and pulled herself away from Shizuki. She settled back into her seat, mopping her face with her sleeve.

"Thanks, Shizuki. I'm okay now."

The smile she gave her brother wasn't at all forced, her naturally positive nature rapidly reasserting itself. After all, Sano had promised her, and Sano never broke his promises. _'This time I'll come to see you,'_ he had said. Mizuki knew she just had to be patient, even if patience wasn't her strong suit.

"Are you sure?" His concern was readily apparent in the anxious tone of his voice. "What was the matter?"

"I just got a little homesick for a minute."

She said it simply, the smile on her face causing Shizuki to cast a puzzled look in her direction perhaps wondering exactly where she was thinking of as home.

That was fine. Let him wonder. For her part, she would be patient. Well, she'd _try_ to be patient, but she _knew _she could be stubborn. Either way, she'd make it. After all, it was just one year.

It would be a long wait, but in the end home would come to her.


	6. Defenseless

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Title: Defenseless

Theme: #25, fence

AN: No, I could not resist the horrible pun of a title. Yes, I am currently extremely sleep-deprived. And a complete dork. Now that we've accepted that, let's move on, shall we? Oh, and this is set in Vol. 1. No spoilers here, nice people. I'm not completely enthralled with how this turned out, but meh. It's done.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Tired now.

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When Izumi Sano left home, he became an expert at putting up a barrier between himself and other people. An invisible wall, a fence that kept out potential pain. He cut himself off from first his family, and then from all other emotional ties. At junior high school, he didn't make friends; he made acquaintances. He had distance down to a fine art by the time he came to Osaka.

Even at Osaka, with people like Nakatsu, Sekime, and Noe, the distance lessened but didn't disappear. They included him in their group, laughed and joked _around_ him but never _with_ him. They invited him to their parties, but never really tried to breach the fences set up around him. Nobody had.

Until that person came.

Mizuki Ashiya, the strange new transfer student who seemed to follow him everywhere. At first, Ashiya had seemed like some weird guy who was coming on to him and acting all obsessive about his high jumping. But somehow Ashiya began to make him laugh. Somehow, this strange person had been able to get past some of his defenses.

Then he found out who Mizuki Ashiya _really_ was. A _girl_.

How was he supposed to treat a girl? Strangely enough, hero worship from a guy he could deal with. Shin had tagged after him for years, following in his footsteps, making almost every move he made right up until he left home. A girl was different. Especially a girl who had crossed an ocean and disguised her gender to enroll in an all boys' school just to be near him.

He had no clue as to how to deal with her. She was getting under his skin, too close for comfort. Yet he found himself wanting to protect her. He was almost involuntarily drawn to her fearless nature, her unending supply of energy, her passionate display of emotions.

So he would avoid her, hoping the problem would go away. Hoping _she _would go away. When he couldn't avoid her, he found himself lashing out at her, frustrated by her constant meddling.

He knew what the real problem was, though. She saw too much. She cared too much.

She made him feel too much.

Her concern for him was overwhelming. He wasn't used to someone looking out for him, caring for him. He was sure he didn't want to like it. After all, that's why he'd yelled at the manager for his old track team, Rika. It was why he yelled at Mizuki.

Funny how yelling at Rika, taking his anger and frustration out on _her_, hadn't made him feel guilty.

No matter how much her tried to wall Mizuki out, she kept sneaking her way into his thoughts. Into his heart. Until finally he found himself defenseless against her.


	7. A Bad Case Of

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Title: A Bad Case Of...

Theme: #18, "Say ahhh"

AN: Mizuki might be a little OOC in this piece. However, with what she says in vol. 8 and then again in vol. 10 (when we get there) about how attractive Sano is, I think she feels all this stuff—at least subconsciously. At least that's my opinion, anyway. No spoilers for anything, because this never happened in the manga. Again, not completely happy with this one, but oh well. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Disclaimer: Doesn't belong to me, but rather to Hisaya Nakajo, Hakusensha, Viz, and anybody else with rights that I forgot to mention.

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"Say ahhh..."

"I'm fine, Sano!"

"You look flushed to me. Are you sure you're not coming down with a sore throat or a cold or something?"

She could hardly tell him that during their free period, instead of doing her classwork, she had been daydreaming about _him_.

"I'm fine! I just got a little too warm!"

Sano leaned in closer to test the temperature of her forehead with his hand, and Mizuki thought absently that if she leaned just a little farther forward she could kiss him—just as she had been daydreaming about. Their eyes locked briefly, and for one disconcerting moment, she wanted to do it. She wanted to close the gap of a few inches and end all the torturous uncertainty of "does-he or does-he-not like me" with a brush of lips.

Then with a rush, she came back to herself, remembering that they were in a classroom with the interested audience of Sekime, Noe, and Nakatsu.

"You know, maybe I will go see Dr. Umeda. I am kinda not feeling so good." Mizuki headed for the door, the flush on her cheeks due to embarrassment at her own thoughts rather than illness.

_'Oh, God! I can't believe I almost kissed him! In the middle of class! I hope he couldn't tell what I was thinking... Oh, I so could have blown everything just now.'_

Mizuki's thoughts churned wildly, resulting in a somewhat erratic course down the hallway. This masquerade was becoming more and more difficult. The happiness that came from just being near the guy she loved was still there, but it was now tempered with frustration.

She was near him but she couldn't be _with_ him. She couldn't go out on a date with him, couldn't hold hands with him, and definitely couldn't kiss him. He was there all the time, looking completely wonderful with his gorgeous dark eyes and that hair that always made her itch to bury her fingers in it.

She knew she wasn't the only girl that found him attractive. After that picture of him, Nakatsu, and Nanba had been published, the girls had been all over him. He was so darned sexy, and he didn't even have a clue.

Unfortunately, _she_ did.

Which is why she was now making her way to the infirmary, hoping a conversation with Dr. Umeda would at least provide her with a temporary distraction from her "illness."


	8. In For It

* * *

Title: In For It 

Theme: #3, jolt!

AN: Another kiss done. This makes what, nine? Counting "Missing Him" which is posted separately. Only 21 more to go out of the 30. Yeeesh, this may take a while. (laughs at self) Wonder what I was thinking? Oh, spoilers for... (insert dramatic music of your choice) volume 1! So if you haven't read that, why are you here? Yes, Fae is being silly.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. All rights are owned by Hisaya Nakajo and Viz, among others. It's a rule, you know. Just like "singular subjects take singular verbs" and... Oh god, I sound like a teacher... Wait, I am a... Nevermind.

* * *

Snip. 

"So... Tell me again why you cut all your hair off?" Julia questioned dazedly, still reeling from the shock Mizuki had just given her.

Snip.

Mizuki stared intently in the mirror, attempting to even out the ends of her rather ragged home haircut.

"Jules, you know you heard me the first time!" Mizuki's excitement and nervousness were apparent in the lilt of her voice.

"I know, I was just hoping that somehow it wasn't true, that you weren't really going to do something this insane," Julia sighed in exasperation. Her stern glare was having no effect on her friend, who still wasn't looking in her direction.

Mizuki sucked her lower lip between her teeth and tilted her head, nervously running her fingers through her hair to again check her new haircut.

"Oh, God! I can't get it even!"

The pleading, puppy-dog eyes Mizuki cast on Julia had their usual effect. Julia knew Mizuki had no idea she was even doing it, but that didn't make the look any less effective. She wished she knew how Mizuki had acquired the ability to wrap people around her finger without ever realizing she had done so. It was a talent Julia wouldn't have minded having.

"Here, let me help."

Julia studied her friend in the mirror briefly before turning her attention to the choppy ends at the back and taking the scissors from Mizuki.

_'Honestly, the girl will be lucky if they don't send her packing the minute she gets there. Sure she's skinny—and flat—enough, but that face! There is no way anyone could look at that face and see a guy! She should be back in a couple of weeks at the most. More likely a couple of days, since I bet it doesn't take long for at least one of them to find out. I guess I don't really have anything to worry about. If she's gone for too long, then I'll start worrying.'_

Satisfied with her own reasoning, and having recovered from the shock Mizuki gave her, Julia felt comfortable enough to go back to her usual teasing behavior.

"You know, Mickey, it's a good thing you're going to Japan. I don't think they have stalker laws there like they do here in California. Hopefully you won't get into too much trouble."

"I am _not_ stalking him!"

Julia smothered a laugh at Mizuki's indignant reply.

"So... You're moving to a foreign country, enrolling in a new school, pretending to be a boy, and living in a dorm with a bunch of guys, all so you can be friends with this guy? And you're not stalking him?" Julia asked dryly, not really expecting much of a rebuttal from her friend.

"I'm not! Not _much_, anyway!"

At this, the girls' eyes met in the mirror, and both of them dissolved into laughter.

"Poor Izumi Sano! He has no idea what he's in for!" Julia managed to gasp out in between fits of giggles.


	9. Void

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Title: Void

Theme: #17, kHz (kilohertz)

AN: Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I had to look it up myself to be sure, but yep, they're talking radio frequency here. Specifically AM radio and rescue beacons, among other things. So this is what I went with, after briefly considering and discarding the "on the same wavelength" idea as being a little too cheesy. Most of this story pounced on me in one chunk as I was writing the "jolt" kiss (which was originally supposed to be the kilohertz one—I was going to have Julia fiddle with the radio). I like it when they mostly write themselves. Saves me and my brain a lot of trouble.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue me. Just finished paying for grad school, so you wouldn't get much, anyway. Except for maybe my certifiably crazy dog... On second thought, please sue me.

* * *

Izumi Sano slapped blindly at the alarm clock on the stand next to his bed. The steady, loud beep changed to the blare of a weather report from the local AM station.

"Mostly sunny and warm. Spring is here!"

He briefly wondered what the weather was like for her in California before rolling out of bed and heading for the shower. The chipper voice of the reporter followed him into the bathroom that he shared with no one. Only a month left in his final year here at Osaka, and she was on his mind more than ever. Missing Mizuki was a daily ache, but at least the single room he had now as a senior held no memories of the elfin girl.

He could also take comfort in the fact that he wouldn't have to miss her much longer. Though he hadn't told her—had really only told his parents—his scholarship to Berkeley had come through months earlier. He was going to keep his promise to her after graduation.

He hadn't written her much since she'd left Japan. Only a few letters here and there every couple of months. Phone calls had been even less frequent. He didn't want her to think he'd forgotten about her, but staying in touch had been almost impossibly hard for him. He'd been terrified that he'd blurt out or write something stupid like, 'I need you here with me. Come back!' or 'If Gilbert makes a move on you, I'm going to hurt him!'

He didn't want her to think he was pathetic, or obsessive, or both, even though sometimes he felt that way. He wondered if she knew how much he depended on her, what he had lost when she left. He suspected not.

Sure he'd looked after her, tried to keep her safe, and helped her hide her secret, but that had been mostly selfishness on his part. It was because he wanted her by his side. Wanted that cheerful face turned towards his. Wanted the warmth he felt when she smiled—warmth that doubled when the smile was directed his way. Wanted her comforting, constant presence, her audaciousness, and her exasperating naiveté. Wanted her soft lips beneath his own.

He tried to fill the void she left with the radio. Weather and talk stations provided a voice in the background, the chatter he'd grown used to hearing while living with her, but of course it wasn't the same. No voice on the radio could fill all the holes she'd left. He was surprised by how hard it had been—and still was—to be without her.

He was surprised at how much he had changed because of her, and how much he liked the new person he had become.

So the voices of strangers provided a distraction for him, passing the time until he could see her again, hear her voice, and be whole.


	10. Endless Sky

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Title: Endless Sky

Theme: #15, perfect blue

AN: EXTREME SAP ALERT! Proceed at your own risk. That is all. And vague spoilers for ch. 82. EDIT: I posted this on Monday, and then as I was reading in the HK section, found another fic with very similar themes. This was not done intentionally, nor had I read that fic before I posted my own. Any resemblance is completely accidental.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Kimi. I just take Hisaya Nakajo's perfectly happy characters and torture them alternately with angst and sugar.

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He could remember when the high jump was everything to him, the only time he could fly free of the battlefield his home had become. For a long time, Izumi Sano thought that he would never experience the peace and joy of 'eternity in a moment' any other place than in the middle of a jump looking up at the perfect blue of the sky. The serenity of that second, suspended in the air with nothing in front of you but clouds and blue, and all your problems left behind you on the ground. Just for that moment everything was perfect and all his worries melted away in the seemingly endless space between earth and sky.

Even when things got bad, and he lost the love for high jumping he once had, he never lost his memory of the joy in that moment. And nothing on the ground could compare to that feeling.

Then he met Mizuki.

He couldn't tell when it happened, but after a while he realized; looking into her eyes, seeing her smile at him was like staring up into the perfect blue of the sky, and he could almost feel the ground fall away from his feet.


	11. Between the Lines

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Title: Between the Lines

Theme: #2; news, letter

AN: This is all Kashu's fault. She reviewed "Void" asking for Mizuki's side of the story—how would she react to not getting much communication from Sano. So this can be officially considered a sorta kinda sequel to that story. Oh, and woohoo! Officially over a third of the way done with my 30 kisses.

Disclaimer: Not mine. All rights belong to Hisaya Nakajo and various and sundry other assorted corporations. No profit is being made, etc., etc.

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Mizuki got at least a postcard every week; usually, though, it was a letter, a lengthy one detailing all the goings on at Osaka. Who had gotten into what trouble, how the guys were doing in class, the latest sports results.

You wouldn't think it, but Nakatsu was an excellent letter writer.

It was a good thing too, because she devoured every inch of those handwritten pages, reading and re-reading news of her friends' lives. News of Sano.

After all, it wasn't like Sano wrote her himself. Or called. Or emailed. She'd gotten four letters from him in the six months since she'd left Osaka. FOUR. Along with two phone calls.

It was other things that gave her valuable information about him; things that spoke louder than his almost absent words.

The way "I miss you," in his last letter was smudged. As if he'd erased it and then re-wrote it again anyway. As if it had been a struggle to write even that, or to stop there. The grueling schedule Nakatsu all-unknowingly described to her.

It was also from Nakatsu that she learned that he didn't talk as much any more. In fact, he had been in danger of slipping into his old habit of keeping a slight distance from everyone around him. Nakatsu assured her that he and Sekime and Noe had refused to let him do so. Apparently, they made sure that he got dragged into whatever new scheme or mishap they were cooking up; despite the fact that all of them were studying for entrance exams, they still seemed to find time here and there to relax.

Mizuki worried about his silence. How could she not? She wrote to him anyway; long newsy letters much like the ones she got from Nakatsu. She wanted him to feel like she was still there with him somehow.

She still worried.

She worried that he wasn't doing well, that he was sad, that he wasn't getting along with his family, that he was sick—any one of a million possible scenarios that prevented him from wanting to talk to her.

What she never worried about was him forgetting about her. She never worried about him loving someone else. Mizuki couldn't quite even explain it to herself, other than she believed in Sano.

She supposed, in some sort of convolutedly logical way, that his silence meant he missed her too much--missed her beyond bearing. Missed her so much that sometimes it hurt to even think about it.

Missed her the way she missed him.


	12. Snapshots

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Title: Snapshots

Theme: #10, #10

AN: No that's not a typo. The theme for #10 is the number ten. And how does this connect to the theme? Well, they're ten drabbles, all featuring Izumi Sano and his relationship with Mizuki. Real drabbles (100 words or less), not the looser "500 or less words" definition I had been using. Why did I make this insanely hard for myself? I'm not quite sure... Thanks to all my reviewers. I do appreciate feedback, and constructive criticism is welcome, so please do comment on what you think needs to be improved upon. Also, please note that the overall rating for this fic just jumped to T for safety's sake, due to some vague sexual content in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own, therefore you don't sue. Simple, yes?

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i. Izumi Sano resigned himself to being celibate until marriage. After all, he'd survived two years living in the same room as the girl he loved. He figured if he could weather that temptation and not go insane, he could make it through four years of college. He hadn't counted on her having other ideas. All of his well-thought-out plans evaporated from his brain when she pounced on him one afternoon. He could only stare for a moment at the decidedly mischievous glint in her eyes before all his suppressed desire washed the rest of the world away.

ii. Although Izumi had once commented to Mizuki that she couldn't possibly make him think she looked sexy after everything they'd gone through together at Osaka, she managed to prove him wrong on the night they made love for the first time. He'd seen her in boy's clothes for most of the time he'd known her, but something about the way she'd moved around his bedroom wearing only his discarded T-shirt while gathering up her own scattered clothing had made him catch his breath. Though she'd been getting ready to go home, he didn't let her leave for another hour.

iii. While they'd managed to patch their relationship back together, Izumi was uncertain if the reconciliation between him and his father would last with the introduction of Mizuki as his fiancee. Afterwards, Izumi still couldn't tell how his father felt about them. With so many years spent estranged, he'd lost the knack for reading his father's expressions. He was left with no doubt when he stumbled across the two having a late-night conversation in the kitchen over tea. His father's words to Mizuki welded him to the spot for a long moment.

"Thank you for giving me my son back."

iv. Izumi thought that Shin's reaction to the story of his and Mizuki's meeting was even more interesting than his father's was. The looks of dawning relief and then momentary envy that raced across his brother's face told Izumi volumes about Shin. Somehow it just made Izumi glad that she'd chased _him_ across the ocean. He would have hated to have to steal his brother's girlfriend.

v. By the time their parents finally met each other, Izumi had managed to quietly work himself into a nervous wreck. Mizuki's exuberant, openly friendly parents couldn't be more different from his taciturn father. So by the time the two families met in the months before the wedding, he was prepared for disaster. He _wasn't_ prepared for his father's warm smile after a few minutes in their presence, accompanied by the statement, "Now I see where she gets it from."

vi. Of course Izumi was happy on their wedding day. He didn't consider himself to be an overly possessive kind of guy, but there was something reassuring about the formalization of a promise he'd made to himself long ago. His good mood even lasted through Gilbert requesting a kiss from the bride. That is, until the kiss Gilbert gave Mizuki lasted much longer than Izumi felt necessary. When Gilbert finally left them alone, Izumi's good mood had evaporated, and he found himself wondering if it really was bad manners to punch a guest in the face at your own wedding.

vii. Izumi could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen his father cry. He added one more to the total when Mizuki gave birth to a girl, and they named their daughter after Izumi's mother.

viii. Izumi did eventually learn to appreciate sweets, but it wasn't Mizuki who changed his mind. Mizuki had passed her love of anything sugarcoated or chocolate-dipped on to their daughter. The sticky, candy flavored kisses his little girl pressed to his lips when he picked her up after she'd enjoyed her latest treat convinced him that sweet things weren't so bad after all.

ix. Izumi had grown up in a fairly large house that felt even larger, being devoid of people, pets and love. After Mizuki established her dog training school, their house seemed to get smaller and smaller. His softhearted wife couldn't resist taking in pets abandoned as Yujiro was, and some of the time they never got adopted back out. When they added children to the chaotic mix, Izumi couldn't round a corner without tripping over someone or something. He wondered sometimes if anyplace else could ever feel as warm.

x. As exasperated as Mizuki had ever made him, it was nothing compared to what his children made him feel. Both son and daughter shared their mother's sense of mischief, and when all three were allied against him, he was doomed. And he loved every minute of it.


	13. Lullaby

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Title: Lullaby

Theme: #29, The sound of waves

AN: Directly inspired by the panels on p. 28 of Vol. 11. However, this doesn't really contain spoilers for that volume. Just a reflection on her habits in general, along with a massive dose of sugar. Sorry, no sex and/or babies in this chapter... Though I may have a mildly smutty chapter before I'm done. (insert evil chuckle here) Anybody up for smut?

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish Sano was, though. Mmmm. Sano. (drools)

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Mizuki knew a lot of interesting people back home in California. New Agers, drag queens, old ladies, college kids—her family seemed to attract a diverse group. It was through them she knew about those CDs people listened to in order to go to sleep. The sound of waves, raindrops, and bugs chirping—they were supposed to calm and relax you into sleeping more easily.

Mizuki's favored relaxation sound wasn't the ocean crashing against rocks or waves gently lapping onto the shore. It was the gentle thud of a heartbeat. Of one heartbeat in particular—Izumi Sano's.

Whether cradled against his chest or snuggled against his back, the soft cotton of his T-shirt kissing her cheek and the soothing rhythm of his pulse never failed to make her feel safe and happy. Never failed to have her nodding off to sleep almost instantly, secure in the knowledge that he was there and everything would be all right.


	14. Dreams of Her

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Title: Dreams of Her

Theme: #6, the space between dream and reality; #19, red

AN: Sorry I've been gone for so long. Moving, starting a new job, and being too broke to afford Internet all contributed to my prolonged absence. For those of you who sent kind, encouraging personal messages and reviews, I truly appreciate you for sticking with me. This kiss is a two-fer—two themes in one ficlet. Spoilers for vol. 11, and a warning of some slight mature content. Not horrible smutty, but hopefully smexy. If you don't like that sort of stuff, please do skip this ficlet. Oh, and if you're reading the fic and wondering "What question is she talking about?" please refer to p. 113 of vol. 11. Oh my holy God, the self-control that boy has.

Disclaimer: I just wish I owned Sano! But I don't (sigh). Oh, well.

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Red droplets plopped onto the rim of the sink as Izumi Sano clutched his hand to his nose, attempting to stem the overflow of blood.

His chagrin at himself only increased as the nosebleed lessened but refused to completely stop. God, he was so ridiculously pathetic to almost completely lose control in front of Mizuki like that. After all, that oh-so-provocative question had been completely innocently asked. There was no way for Mizuki to know how that question, combined with the unintended sensuality of her pose, would sound to him.

It had seemed like a come-on straight out of one of his more interesting dreams, the kind of dreams that sent him racing to the sanctuary of the bathroom for a middle-of-the-night cold shower, or an alternative form of relief. Her question sent a bright scarlet blush rushing to his face, and then an embarrassed Sano rushing into the bathroom to hide the resultant nosebleed.

That was the key difference between his dreams and his reality. In his dreams, he was bold enough to answer her unknowingly loaded question with a simple, "You." Bold enough to lean forward and kiss her—a gentle meeting of the lips at first, but then deeper, warm breath mingling as tongues slid softly along each other. Any awkward clicking of teeth would be made insignificant by apologetic gentle nibbles on a bottom lip.

In his dreams he was bold enough to help her strip out of that St. Blossom T-shirt and discover whatever it was she wore underneath to flatten her chest. Then he'd remove that too, to reveal the small, firm breasts underneath. He dreamed of her naked chest meeting his own, her breasts rubbing against him as they kissed again—though he was never sure where his own clothes disappeared to in these imagined encounters.

In his dreams they'd somehow find their way towards the beds and tumble into the bottom bunk. He'd slide that maddening skirt and whatever-those-were underneath off, leaving both of them suddenly bare.

In his dreams he loved the way her eyes would shine up at him, loving and wanting and needing him exactly the way he did her. And in his imagination he'd watch her face change as he loved her, pleased her, their bodies tangled together so tightly it seemed as if they would climb into each other.

All of that was in his dreams, though. In reality, he was still here in the bathroom, making sure his nosebleed had completely stopped and composing himself enough so he could be presentable when he opened that door and faced her again. It was times like these that some small part of him bitterly regretted that vast gulf between dream and reality.


	15. Craving

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Title: Craving

Theme: #1, Look Over Here

EDIT (10/15/06): Holy Crap! Was re-reading my vol. of Dramacon today, and realized there was a line in this fic that was really similiar to one of the lines in that manga. It's the _'It should be illegal to be that sexy.' _line, which bears close resemblance to Ms. Chmakova's "It's GOT to be illegal somewhere to be that hot." Completely unintentional on my part, but I'd rather acknowledge the obvious source than plagiarize. So there you go. Credit for that line goes to Svetlana Chmakova in _Dramacon_. (slaps self on head—gah! I'msoSTUPIDsometimes!)

AN: For Magawa, because she asked so nicely. Hope you like it! (Sorry, I know it's not quite what you asked for, but I hope it works.)

AN the Second: Never happened in the manga. And yes, I'm stretching plausibility here a bit. Go with me, people. Just imagine half-naked Izumi. Now think "Plausible, what? MostlynakedSano. Mmmmm." See, I knew you could do it!

Disclaimer: All characters are property of Hisaya Nakajo and Viz. Credit also goes to Magawa for the idea/premise. Oh, and I completely borrowed the "super god of sexiness" phrase from the scanlation I have of Vol. 10. Cause it totally works better than Viz's lame "total sex machine." Uh-huh, Viz. YOU LOSE.

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Mizuki was stretched out on her bunk with the curtains partially closed, reading while she waited on Sano to finish his shower when door to the bathroom clicked open. Little wisps of steam made their way into the room, and she looked up from her book to see Sano standing in front of their bunk wearing only a pair of sweatpants that rode low on his hips and a towel around his neck.

Needless to say, Mizuki was definitely not expecting that.

Sure, she'd told him she'd be a little late since Umeda wanted to talk to her about something. She'd made her detour by there after stopping and checking in with Sano towards the end of practice. Unfortunately, Umeda hadn't been in—judging from the disarray in his office, he'd left in a hurry, running from either Io or Akiha, she suspected.

'He must not have thought I'd be back this soon. Or he just forgot to bring a shirt in with him. But he usually doesn't do that. And he could have had me hand him one through the door if he'd forgotten. Maybe he didn't hear me call out to him when I came in.'

Mizuki's thoughts chased rapidly through her mind as she froze in place, half of her hoping he'd notice her presence and_ put some clothes on_ and the other half thinking _he's doing very well without so much clothes thankyouverymuch._ She knew she was blushing madly. She strongly hoped that she was not drooling. She also desperately hoped she didn't do something completely stupid like tackle him to the floor and start kissing him.

Obviously, he—by some freak accident—hadn't seen her lying there. Obviously, because he hadn't gone diving for a shirt yet. She knew she should speak up and let him know she was in the room, but her vocal cords felt almost paralyzed. She felt like a voyeur, watching Sano through the gap in the curtains on her bunk as he finished toweling his hair dry, but she still couldn't say anything that might shatter the moment.

'_Oh God. It should be illegal to be that sexy,'_ Mizuki thought hazily while she admired the way the muscles in his torso rippled as his arms stretched over his head. No bulging bodybuilder muscles for Sano, just a smooth expanse of skin over a well-toned, athletic body. The damp and tousled hair, his dark, long-lashed eyes, all that yummy smooth chest, the lean strength of his arms—all of it added up to make one fantastic looking guy.

'_It's just not fair! Why does he have to be so gorgeous?'_

It was just that most of the time she could forget she was living in the same room as this unbearably sexy guy. Even half-dressed, most of the time he was just Sano—her best friend, the guy she saw every day, the one who teased her about her funny hair or how she ate or her crappy Japanese grades.

Every so often she'd see him like this, though—supermodel Sano, someone regularly hit on by completely unknown females in public, the one who practically steamed up Akiha's camera lens, the guy _Nanba_ claimed to be the "super god of sexiness."

Suddenly she almost desperately wanted him to look at her, to see her as female, to realize how madly in love with him she was, to kiss her and return all of the need she had for him.

Surely she wasn't the only one craving around here?


	16. Could Have Beens

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Title: Could Have Beens

Theme: #13, excessive chain

AN: I'm trying something a little different here, so bear with me. And I know this one is depressing. Sorry. Also sorry for the length between updates. RL has been difficult for a while now. There will eventually be a limey/lemonish chapter, but not for a while.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hisaya Nakajo and Viz. I am making no profit from this work and claim no rights to the characters.

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It could have been like this—Mizuki's caring for Sano an excess of chain, winding tighter and tighter around him as he struggled to get away from this creepy stalker girl who chased him across the globe after having seen him only once on television, this person who constantly harassed him about his decision to quit the high jump, this girl who said she liked him without really even knowing him, a person who he could care nothing about.

It could have been like this—blurting out to Umeda his chance discovery, the secret of her gender revealed to all and this strange Mizuki Ashiya sent home as abruptly as s/he came, and afterwards Sano randomly feeling this strange sense of unease, as if a slender chain that had somehow connected him to another person had snapped, the excess of the severed links chafing, a phantom pain reminding him of a loss of something he'd never had.

It could have been like this—attraction wrapping them tighter and tighter, until the accidental brush in a hot springs of Mizuki's bare breasts against Sano caused the cords of attraction to become chains of passion, a passion they indulged in secretly, lips and bodies meeting clandestinely again and again over the months, until the worst happened and Mizuki went home disgraced and pregnant.

It could have been like this—their love a chain stretching out between them when she was forced to leave, the fragile links pulled almost to the breaking point by miles and months, slowly worn down by the other's absence, until it finally crumbled and they wandered away from each other no longer bound, no longer in love.

It could have been, but wasn't.

Instead, Mizuki's smiles provided Izumi's light, Izumi's tenderness gave Mizuki roots, and the two grew more and more entwined, made stronger by the ties binding them, and together they were strong enough to withstand any tempest.


	17. Blue or Pink?

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Title: Blue or Pink?

Theme: #28; Wada Calcium CD3

AN: Yes, the ultimate cliché. Pregnancy fic. These two just seem to lend themselves to gag-inducing sweetness, don't they? Or perhaps it's just my writing skillz (or lack thereof). This is not my favorite thing I've ever written, but it's the best I could come up with for this theme. And, hey, update!

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Hisaya Nakajo and Viz. I am just borrowing them for my own personal enjoyment. No profit is being made from this work.

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Mizuki came home late, crashing through the door with her usual exuberance to be home, arms overflowing with a variety of bags and packages.

"Where've you been?" Izumi absently asked his wife after the ritual greeting, as he helped her untangle herself from her burdens.

"Well, I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon, and then I went shopping afterwards!"

"I can see that last part. Have you eaten yet?"

"Hmm. No. Put those in the bedroom, please? I'll unpack them later, after I get dinner started."

Izumi obediently carried his wife's shopping spoils into the other room and dumped them on the bed, returning immediately to the kitchen to help Mizuki. Her meals always turned out edible—tasty even—but usually gave the appearance of being anything but. Besides, he enjoyed the companionship of cooking the meal together. Even after several years of marriage it was still hard to believe that the vivacious girl he'd fallen in love with so long ago was going to be with him forever.

Mizuki wasn't quite herself that evening. Granted, her typically bright and cheerful disposition was the same, but she was unusually absent-minded that evening. She forgot to season the fish, almost burned the rice—a special feat, since they'd bought a rice cooker—and she'd almost burned her hand when she caught a kitchen towel on fire.

So understandably, he was still worried later that night, when he came into the bedroom still steaming from his soak in the bath to find her unpacking her teetering on a chair, putting away some of her shopping plunder on the very top shelf of the closet. He watched her closely, scrubbing his hair dry with the towel, as she climbed down from her wobbly perch and walked back over towards the bed. She turned to the row of pill bottles now lined up neatly on the nightstand next to the bed, and his interest focused further. Those were new. His wife had not taken any sort of prescription since going off birth control after they got married.

"What are those for?"

"Hmm? Oh, just some vitamins and a calcium supplement," she answered distractedly.

"Why are you taking a calcium supplement and vitamins all of a sudden? You're not sick, are you?"

"Oh, no. They're just your normal prenatal regimen. The doctor said to go ahead and start them, even if I am only a couple of months along."

"Oh, well that's..." her words finally penetrated his fog of concern with the force of a wrecking ball. Prenatal?! A couple of months?! He turned to see his wife's wide, mischievous grin directed straight at him.

"So what color should we paint the nursery, blue or pink?" Laughter bubbled through her voice at his continued inability to speak, and she crossed the room to where he stood frozen in place with shock.

As she walked towards him, Izumi contemplated Mizuki's beautiful sunny smile, the same smile that helped capture his heart at Osaka.

"Yellow. I think we should paint it yellow," he managed right before he covered that smile with his own mouth for a long, joyous kiss.


	18. Avoiding Temptation

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Title: Avoiding Temptation

Theme: #26, If only I could make you mine

AN: So, this particular ficlet has seen another incarnation on the MakinLemonade ML in response to the very first week's challenge "Sometimes getting what you want and getting what you need are not the same thing." Actually, the ficlet started life as a response to this theme for 30 Kisses and got adapted to fit that challenge as my first attempt at something-like-a-lemon (and I didn't actually make it to the lemon scene). So here it is again, re-adapted for the original theme. It's still just mildly naughty, you know, the Diet Coke of smut... (spot that ancient, creaky joke whydoncha?) Can't really post full-fledged lemons here anywho, as per the rules and regs (and I prefer not to have my story reported thankyouverymuch!). I solemnly swear (holds up hand) that I WILL write a HanaKimi lemon one day, but the unedited version will have to be posted at MediaMiner. Oh, and ginormous SPOILERS for the last volume of the manga.

Disclaimer: Hana Kimi is the property of Hisaya Nakajo, and this fic was written for purely personal enjoyment. No profit is being made from this work. And by the way? Sano, um, can't belong to anyone except the original author as he is, ya know, a work of fiction—i.e. NOT REAL. Just so we're all clear on that, mkay?

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Sano wanted Mizuki by his side because he needed to protect her, to keep her safe. In his more honest moments he admitted to himself that he just wanted...her. Any way he could have her. And if the most he could settle for was keeping her near him by helping her keep her secret, then so be it.

But now, with her secret revealed, it didn't matter much what he wanted anymore. The gossip and the harassment she had endured since her secret got out was just the beginning of what could happen. It was just as well that she had voluntarily turned in her resignation. It was best for her own safety, though not for his peace of mind.

Mizuki stirred again, unusually restless. Then again, he was still awake himself, contemplating her departure tomorrow. She had gone to sleep quickly, but had tossed and turned and _clung_ throughout the first part of the night. He had already successfully resisted temptation earlier this evening when his naive darling asked if she could "sleep with him." He knew she had no idea how much he wanted to do exactly that, and not in the chaste meaning of the phrase that she assumed.

As she turned in her sleep to face him, he once again cursed his own restraint. Two years had passed with her as his roommate and sometime bedmate. Now she was about to leave, and the most they had done was kiss. He wanted to make her his, to claim her in the most basic way possible, but the idea of using sex to try and tie her to him revolted the rational portion of his brain.

His body disagreed, though, and brought to his attention the temptation she currently posed, wrapped around him as she was. He noticed her breath, hot and moist against his neck. Her slightly parted lips lightly brushing the sensitive curve between neck and shoulder. He would have never thought the mere whisper of her lips, the ghostly caress of her breath, could be so arousing—or maybe it was just tonight's heightened frustration. Either way, each exhale sent an almost electric tingle across his skin.

Of course, cuddled as close as she was to him, he couldn't help but also notice her breasts, unconstrained by her vest and pressing against his chest. He wondered briefly why he'd ever assumed that she was completely flat-chested—though she'd been able to hide them almost completely, the gentle curves rubbing against him now were definitely enough to tantalize. The feel of the small, firm mounds against him made him want nothing more than to strip off her shirt and then his own. To finally experience her bare softness pressed up against him.

His heated imagination and rapidly slipping control produced the inevitable result, and Sano sighed as he tried to ease his aching hard-on away from her. Unfortunately, as soon as he managed to put some space between them, she stirred again and clamped right back on to him, clinging to him as a child does to a favored stuffed animal.

'_Dammit!' _He cursed to himself, _'Is she **trying** to make this impossible for me?! I want to do the right thing!'_

He pried himself away from her much less carefully than before and turned his back towards her, contemplating getting up and taking either one of two time-honored routes to relieving his problem. He had wanted this closeness with her, wanted to be near her on their last night together here at school, but his frustration had soared to the point that remaining in the same bed with her and not touching her was becoming next to impossible.

"Sano?" Mizuki's sleep-muffled voice interrupted the heated bent of his thoughts. "Where're you going? What's wrong?"

The hand she reached out to him slid along his back in an unwittingly sensual caress. Sano growled to himself as his control wavered and he leaned intently towards the girl who owned his heart.

Sleep-dazed doe eyes blinked up from a face soft with affection and concern. Mizuki's innocence was so obvious it was almost painful. She had no idea what she did to him, no idea what he wanted from her.

Though the knowledge did nothing to ease his erection, it did enable him to rein his passion in enough to settle back down on the bed next to her.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep." He tempered his order with a gentle kiss on the forehead, a caress that had become habitual for him when dealing with sleepy Mizuki.

He could endure tonight knowing that she'd be gone tomorrow, though he looked forward to a future when he would no longer have to avoid the temptation she presented.


	19. Mirrored Feelings

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Title: Mirrored Feelings

Theme: #22, cradle

AN: Here I go again, the taken from one-panel super short fic. This is from vol. 17, p. 20--not really a direct re-interpretation of the scene, more an inspired-by. Also inspired by a really obscure song from an equally obscure band, "Cradle" by The Rising (the live version is better). And as a side note---WOOHOO!! Only 10 more to go!!

Disclaimer: Not mine. All characters belong to Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations that aren't me, much to my lasting regret.

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He wrapped his arms around her, and her arms cradled his head against her stomach, seeking the comfort only she could give him.

Izumi knew he depended her as he depended on no one else. Mizuki was his confidante, his best friend, and the only person he could turn to help him sort things out when he felt as if the world around him had come undone.

She drove him crazy, made him worry, made him laugh, and made him love her to distraction with her quirky personality and her way of living life with arms spread wide, embracing the world.

He couldn't kiss her, didn't often touch her, rarely dared to hold her as he was doing now, but she was his all the same. Or maybe he was hers. He didn't care either way, as long as they could be together.

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She wrapped her arms around him, cradling his head against her stomach, seeking to comfort the person most important to her.

Mizuki knew it was selfish of her, but she wanted him to depend on her, to always turn to her like this. She wanted him to tell her his problems, to lean on her, to need her as he needed no one else in the world.

He made her laugh, made her worry, made her feel like she was his best friend, made her heart beat faster when he talked to her, when he smiled at her, when he touched her.

She usually blushed like crazy when he touched her, and rarely dared to even think about kissing him, but she wished that someday he could be hers all the same. Or she could be his. Either way it didn't matter, as long as they were together.


	20. Outside Looking In

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Title: Outside Looking In

Theme: #16—invincible; unrivaled

AN: I know it's been a while since I've posted one of these. Sorry. And I apologize ahead of time for pronoun confusion. Though I tried to avoid confusion whenever possible, it's really hard when you're writing a love triangle for three 'he's (as far as Nakatsu knows anyway!). Yes, technically this story should be categorized as shounen-ai. Also, spoilers for the last vol. (vol. 18) since this is set right after that first scene with Nakatsu and Mizuki.

Disclaimer: All rights and characters belong to Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations. This fanwork is not intended for profit.

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Nakatsu waited until Mizuki left before he broke down. It wasn't so much an attempt to keep his dignity as it was not wanting Ashiya to worry about him. After all, the other boy already had enough on his mind because of the argument with Izumi.

Part of him wondered why he was even crying. It wasn't as if he hadn't suspected Mizuki would respond the way he had. Nakatsu had seen the signs after all. It was just as he'd told the other boy; he'd been watching him watch Izumi for a while now, and despite whatever impression he usually gave off, Nakatsu wasn't completely clueless. It helped that Mizuki was transparent, emotions out there for anyone to see. Nakatsu recognized that combination of wistful longing and delighted affection the other boy directed towards Izumi Sano. He felt it himself looking at Mizuki.

And yet, somehow those two didn't see what was obvious—to him at least.

There was some kind of bond between them, unspoken, unacknowledged, but unbreakable all the same. It was in the way one looked at the other when he thought he wasn't being watched. The way one's moods mirrored the other's. The way Izumi's smiles were more frequent when Mizuki was near, and Mizuki's smiles were brighter in Izumi's presence. The mother hen way Izumi watched over Mizuki, and the way Mizuki cheered on Izumi's every endeavor.

They had this air of inevitability about them, so much so Nakatsu almost couldn't stand to watch the two of them together. That was perhaps what made it worse—they were both his friends, and he wanted his friends to be happy.

In the end he figured he was crying mostly out of helplessness; he was facing a problem he couldn't overcome because either result would end up with him hurting. He cried knowing that tomorrow he'd feel a little better, and the day after that, and then some day soon he'd be able to smile at them without remembering this feeling of utter defeat.


	21. In the Happily Ever After

--------------------------------------------

Title: In the Happily Ever After

Fandom: Hana Kimi

Pairing: Izumi Sano x Mizuki Ashiya

AN: No real spoilers for the end, but this is set years after the last volume. In my head, it's the 15 year anniversary of her coming to Osaka. And beware of intense sugar!

Disclaimer: All characters (except one) are property of Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations. This fanwork is not intended for profit.

-------------------------------------------

"Hey, you know…"

"Hmm?"

"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to us if I hadn't chased you all the way across the ocean."

"Stalked me, you mean?"

"Hey! It wasn't like that, and you know it!"

"It's okay; I returned the favor later."

"That's true… So, do you ever think about it? If we'd never met, I mean?"

"Mmm. Sometimes. Rarely, but sometimes. I look at you and wonder, 'What if she'd never come to save me?'"

"Save you?! Really! Humph!"

"Yes, save me. That's what you did, you know. If you hadn't come, I'd be some lonely guy; just a high school sports has-been with no real friends, no family, and no happiness."

"That's not true! You had friends before I came, people that cared about you. You would have eventually figured things out for yourself, gone back to doing what you loved, and patched things up with your dad and brother."

"Maybe. I don't know. I think things turned out better because of you, though... What about you? What do you think you'd be doing if we hadn't met?"

"I can't even picture it! Although Shizuki would probably have less gray hair, not that it shows much in the blond. Julia would have never ended up married to you-know-who. And Umeda might never have admitted that he actually liked Akiha."

"True."

"I guess because I'm so happy now, I don't want to think it could have turned out any other way. I can't imagine being this happy with anyone else, or leading any other life than the one we have now."

"Well, you could have married that jerk Gilbert. It would have made your parents, and especially your brother, very happy. After all, he's a doctor now. So you could have been a doctor's wife and had lots of little blond children."

"Izumi!"

Mizuki broke off at the sound of a short cry from a nearby room. Both were silent, listening intently, and at the sound of another cry that rapidly escalated into a wail, they disentangled from each other and moved to leave the nested bedding where they had been cuddled together.

"I'll check on her. You lay back down," Izumi tossed over his shoulder as he started for the door, pajama pants riding low on his hips.

"Are you sure? I don't mind…"

But he was already out the door, and Mizuki smiled a bit to herself at how thoroughly besotted her handsome husband was with their little girl.

After a minute or two the cries stopped, and shortly Izumi came back with the toddler in his arms, pressing a kiss to her tender forehead through the thick black bangs that looked so much like his own.

"Just a little nightmare, I think. She quieted down as soon as I picked her up. She's almost asleep again already."

"You'll spoil her, you know."

Belying her own words, Mizuki stretched her arms up for her daughter.

"Blond-haired babies, hmm?" she murmured as she cuddled her drowsy child closer. "I don't think that would have suited me at all."

"Wouldn't it?" Izumi perched on the edge of the bed, leaning over his little girl to steal a kiss from his wife.

"Mmm. Although I don't think I mind the lots."

The grin she gave him was the wide, sassy, sparkling grin that had knocked him for a loop all those years ago. It still did.


	22. Intriguing Addition

-----------------------------------------

Title: Intriguing Addition

Theme: #9, dash

AN: I went with one of the less used definitions of the word here, so if you get confused, I apologize. Also, sorry for such a gap between posts—it's been a doozy of a fall semester so far. Just as a side note, there's a brief reference to one of my own fics, "A Bad Case Of…". Not that anyone but me will spot it.

Disclaimer: All characters are not mine but property of Hisaya Nakajo. No profit is made from this fanwork.

-----------------------------------------

Umeda wasn't a chef by any stretch of the imagination. Though he loved gourmet cooking, he much preferred going out to eat with his honey of the moment. That didn't stop him from appreciating the subtlety of cooking. Cooking was combining the right ingredients and flavoring, hints of spice, dashes of seasoning, all working together to make a formerly bland, boringly ordinary dish into something both interesting and delicious. It was a process he found both mystifying and fascinating, perhaps in part because it was more effort than he cared to put forth.

He figured that's why Mizuki Ashiya intrigued him so much.

Osaka Gakuen had been your average, ordinary high school; it was much like any other all-boys high school found in Japan, and for the most part, Umeda found its predictability to be completely tedious. Then, with the addition of just a single student, Osaka had suddenly become a much more interesting place to be. Such a simple change, really—one tiny thing changed and the atmosphere of the entire school was transformed.

Mizuki's unconscious ability to affect the lives of those around her fascinated him, entertained him, and mystified him.

Umeda even found himself being affected by her.

He knew he was a jaded, cold individualist for the most part. His only soft spot of affection until that crazy kid had barreled into his life had been his little sister Rio. His only deep emotion other than that was his inexplicable passion for Ryoichi Kijima.

Then that whirlwind of sunshine and optimism (two things that usually made him break out in a rash) had hit Osaka, and he found himself helping nurse heartaches, listening to triumphs, laughing inside at all the crazy goings-on, and silently sympathizing with Izumi Sano and the delightful dilemma that slept in the bunk above his.

He was entertained by the gradual transformation of the sour, withdrawn, former high-jumper into a quietly friendly and completely love struck guy once again motivated by his enjoyment of sport. He developed a soft spot for the two clueless would-be lovers—the small agonies they put each other through, the sweet moments they shared, the imagined kisses that were passed on to him via Mizuki. He found himself uncharacteristically rooting for them, nudging them towards the happy ending he wanted to see them achieve.

In the end, Ashiya added such zest and interest to the daily routine that Umeda could even forgive her for bringing That Annoyance back into his life. He'd never tell either of them that, of course—and it would never stop him from giving both of them as much grief as possible.


	23. Five Kisses

---------------------------------------------

Title: Five Kisses

Fandom: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (HanaKimi)

Pairing: Izumi Sano x Mizuki Ashiya

Theme: #30, Kiss

AN: Yes, the cliché and tired "5 things" meme. I was massively lacking inspiration for kisses, and when in doubt I resort to drabbles. Also, I'm guilty of using a scene from the Jdrama, kind of mushing it into the place of the manga version--it probably won't happen again, as I'm not crazy about either of the live action versions. Spoilers for the ending special in 5. (By the way, does anyone know where to get scans of the new HanaKimi special? Rumor is, one came out in January.)

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations of which I am not a part. This fanwork is not intended for profit.

----------------------------------------------

i. Days, weeks, years later--he never remembered their first kiss. In fact, he'd only figured out the next day he must have kissed her because of her sudden refusal to meet his eyes and the spontaneous blushes for no reason he could discern.

So as a result, he had mixed emotions about that first kiss. Obviously he didn't regret having kissed her--even then he knew she was special. He regretted being so drunk he couldn't appreciate it properly, worried that it was a lousy kiss, and missed having a memory of one of the pieces of their story's beginning.

ii. It's a fuzzy memory, half conjured out of her imagination, hazed by fever-skewed perception. In fact, she'd honestly thought it a dream. A dream of cool lips, comforting arms, the steady thud of a heartbeat, and whispered words that were to become a bond between them. Though, on that night they served as the simple comfort she so desperately needed after the attack.

Once in a while she takes out the clouded memory, trying to produce a perfect image of that moment. As always, she is only left with a cool kiss and the promise "I'll stay by your side."

iii. She remembered it in detail days, even weeks, later—mulling over every nuance of the kiss. The brush of her shirt hem recalled the firm heat of the hand at the small of her back. Snugging on her watch brought back the strength of the fingers encircling her wrist--tightly at first, helping to pin her against the wall, then more loosely as the kiss lengthened. The brush of air over her face reminded her of the firm pressure of his lips against hers, and how unexpectedly soft they'd felt.

Though the details faded with time, the longing did not.

iv. The kiss he snuck in the airport as he saw her off was by no means their first, but she would cherish it later for the promise attached to it. It was a sweetly simple whisper of a kiss, a quick press of lips—quite different from the passionate lip-lock they'd fallen into after her confession. In a way, it was almost the equivalent of an innocent pinky-swear. "Friends forever," was the wish of a child though, and their lip-swear wish was to love forever and to be together once again. It was a wish Mizuki knew would come true.

v. It wasn't an especially good kiss, particularly considering how talented at kissing they'd gotten since Sano moved to California. It was wet (from her tears), salty (also from her tears), and consisted mostly of them mashing their lips together (and laughing a little giddily, it must be admitted).

Not that they remembered any of that later, of course. Because it was an _important_kiss, a seal of the simple words said a moment before that carried with them the weight of their future. A future with no secrets, no hiding (but lots of kisses). A future they would carve together.


	24. Homesick, Lovesick

Title: Homesick, Lovesick

Theme: #14, radio-cassette player

AN: I am still writing these. I do intend to finish all of them. I really appreciate everyone for being so patient! Oh, and as far as the theme goes—yes, nobody uses radio-cassette players much anymore.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Kimi. All rights belong to the original creator, Hisaya Nakajo, and various assorted companies. I just borrow them for my own sad, sick amusement (and because Izumi is entirely too good-looking for a fictional character).

* * *

It was such a small thing, included in Mizuki's last care package from the states. Nearly buried amidst the snacks and other items her parents had sent, it was a gift from Julia—one that she'd obviously put a lot of time, thought, and care into.

Julia's present was a radio-cassette player/tape recorder, one of the smaller ones. Big enough to hold a standard-sized tape, but small enough to fit comfortably in Mizuki's hand. With it were several tapes, carefully labeled with names: Julia, Mom and Dad, Shizuki, Gilbert, school.

The short accompanying note from Julia explained everything.

--

_Dear Mickey,_

_Since you haven't visited for a while, I thought I'd send us to you! I didn't know if you were allowed TVs and VCRs or DVD players in the dorm, so I chose this as our safest bet. Besides, you can use it later on to help you take notes. Hope everyone there is taking good care of you! We all miss you, my flat-nosed friend!_

_Love,_

_Julia_

--

Mizuki squealed over the present, bringing an involuntary echoing grin to Sano's face. He was always so amused by her antics.

'Honestly, how did she ever figure to pass as a guy if she acts like such a girl over things?' Still sitting at his desk though taking a break from studying due to the commotion from his roommate, Sano chuckled to himself as she bounced around the room looking for a pair of earphones so that she could listen to her tapes in private. He knew he had a pair, but he figured she must have forgotten since she didn't ask to borrow them. He didn't offer, either. Sano was shameless enough in his curiosity about all things to do with Mizuki that he wanted to eavesdrop.

What had her life been like back in America? What kind of friends had she had? He wanted to know as much as he could about her, but he was reluctant to ask, afraid of somehow giving away his knowledge of her secrets in his questioning. So instead he watched and listened, gleaning what he could from conversations and volunteered tidbits from letters and care packages from home.

Giving up on her search, Mizuki settled on the floor next to his bunk. She listened to the tape from her parents first, full of concern for her grades and health, hopes that she was enjoying herself, updates on neighbors and family friends, and we miss yous. The first tape was in English, and Sano suspected they all would be. Trust Julia to be careful about hiding her friend's secret as much as possible. He was probably one of the few people in the dorm who could understand most spoken English. Most of the other guys didn't know anything more than the basic greetings, and couldn't even say those.

The tape from Shizuki she immediately popped in next was much the same, only with the addition of scoldings not to get into trouble at school and a vague "Be careful." Sano figured her parents must have been nearby; otherwise Mizuki probably would have been lectured again on her foolishness in coming to an all boy's school. She seemed to be enjoying her surprise, though, laughing out loud when her father discussed the latest exploits of one of his more troublesome patients and rolling her eyes at Shizuki's ranting.

So at first, Sano wanted to congratulate Julia on her cleverness at giving Mizuki a little piece of home. At first. Until suddenly Mizuki put the cassette player down after only listening to a minute of the tape from Julia and gave him a trembling smile before promptly announcing that she was going to take Yujiro for a walk.

Sano knew in Mizuki-code this really meant, 'I don't like to cry in front of you because then you might think I'm being too girly, even though I occasionally cry in front of you and everybody else without meaning to, so I'm going to go take Yujiro outside and cry in private.'

After she left he took a quick shower, settled down on the floor with a book, and propped himself up against his bed to wait for her to return. Sure enough, when she came back from her walk with Yujiro, her eyes were slightly red—a fact that he tried to ignore.

"Bathroom's free if you want it. I've already taken my shower," Sano remarked as offhandedly as possible. He hadn't looked up from his book beyond that initial glance, trying to help her maintain the façade of "everything's okay." He wanted to hold her, to soothe her loneliness. He wanted to reassure himself that she was still here and not going to run back to America. To do any of that was to give himself away.

"Thanks."

He gritted his teeth and waited through her shower, smoothing back on his mask of calm as she walked back in to the room and settled on the floor next to him. She listlessly scrubbed at her hair with a towel while he stared at the pages of his book. She seemed tired—no doubt exhausted by the emotional stress of the evening, he figured.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, keeping his voice as offhand as he could make it. He knew he was edging onto dangerous territory here. One slip and there would be no doubt that he knew her secret. Yet he couldn't help but to want to comfort her in whatever small way he could.

"I just got a little homesick for a bit." Mizuki's naturally cheerful disposition seemed to have mostly reasserted itself. The smile she flashed his way was only slightly tinged with sadness.

"I'll listen to the rest later. It's no big deal!"

"That's good."

Sano relaxed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a huge yawn split Mizuki's face as she finished drying her hair and draped the damp towel around her neck. She sighed a little and seemed to settle into the comfortable silence that enveloped them. Because of her relaxed posture and heavy blinking, he knew it wouldn't be long before she nodded off right there beside him.

He waited quietly at her side, under the guise of being absorbed in his book. He didn't have to wait much—Mizuki usually nodded off with the suddenness of a toddler, and tonight was no exception.

When he saw her head sink, he tugged the towel off of her neck, tossing it to the side so she wouldn't get chilled in her sleep. Head drooping, she swayed slightly and then leaned into him, seeking the physical comfort she couldn't and wouldn't allow herself while awake. And he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her more securely against him, nestling her head under his chin after softly dropping a kiss onto the crown of her head.


	25. Accident Waiting to Happen

Title: An Accident Waiting to Happen

Theme: #21, violence; pillage/plunder; extortion

AN: I tried people, I really did. YOU make 'em have a knock-down drag-out, mmmkay? Also see author's note at the end for additional—don't wanna spoil you for the fic here, do I?

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations. This fanwork is not intended for profit.

* * *

Mizuki was angry—steaming mad like she hadn't been in longer than she could remember—and she intended to do something about it.

The source of her anger was sitting oh-so-innocently next to the barbecue, chatting amiably with her father about furo (yet again) and completely unaware of the danger approaching.

What she _really _wanted to do was smack him upside his oh-so-stubborn head, or barring that, lead him into the house by his ear. But she was a grown woman now, twenty, and she knew better than to act so immaturely. Well, at least in front of her parents anyway, since they'd tease her into eternity.

So Mizuki very calmly asked her boyfriend ("Such a nice boy," her father had said, "Are you going to keep him?") to have a conversation with her inside.

Once inside, though, she unleashed the full force of her wrath on him.

"What do you mean!"

smack She rapped the back of her loosely fisted hand against his chest, bouncing her knuckles against the firm muscles.

"Telling Gilbert not to come!"

smack What was their problem, anyway? She'd thought those two would've figured out how to behave like decent human beings (or just human beings, she'd settle for that) around each other by now.

"To the cookout!?"

smack Actually, just thinking about it made her even more angry, because then she started mentally listing all the assorted asshattery they'd gotten into. Like the time they almost drowned themselves endurance racing in Julia's pool. Or when rounding up some of Dad's escaped patients resulted in getting Gilbert bitten and Sano's shoe peed on.

"I ran into him on my way to class today!"

smack It never failed that one or the other did something completely childish and ridiculous. Just. Like. This.

"And he said that you'd bumped into him!"

smack Vaguely it dawned on her that her knuckles were beginning to sting from the unintentional force she was putting behind the blows. What had begun as simple raps were now meaty thwacks across the chest.

"And THREATENED him into NOT COMING!"

smack She wasn't sure she cared, though, because four years of putting up with their male posturing was _quite_ enough.

"TO MY BIRTHDAY PARTY!"

By this time, the smacks to the chest combined with the volume at which she'd delivered the last few words had backed a startled Sano up a good two feet. Having finished her tirade, Mizuki plopped her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him, waiting for what she hoped was a good explanation (and it had better be good).

He blinked at her.

Blinked!

She _really_ wanted to hit him.

Then he got one of his stubborn scowls (it wasn't fair that he looked sexy when he scowled), telling her wordlessly that he was indeed _not_ going to have a good reason.

"I didn't threaten him."

Or any kind of reason at all, apparently.

"Oh, really." Disbelief was thick in her voice. Mizuki normally liked giving people the benefit of the doubt, especially if "people" were Sano. Unfortunately for Sano, right now she wasn't in a particularly lenient mood.

"I told him not to show up. I really don't understand what the problem is."

"Don't. What. Understand. You. Problem." Mizuki sputtered. "Oooh!!" she exclaimed before hauling off and punching him solidly in the shoulder.

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" she roared at Sano. "Enough of you two and your stupidheaded manly man spitting contests. Not that you actually spit, but… GAH! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!"

Sano's scowl got even deeper, taking on a tinge of pout, and making him look strangely like a child caught picking on a sibling.

"Look, it's not my fault he invited himself to the party. I just let him know that it was family only."

Mizuki scowled back at him. "You are so not helping your case. _Technically_," her voice dripped with as much acid as she could muster, being not normally acidly inclined, "technically, _neither_ of you is family. And _actually_, he's known me for longer than you have, remember?"

"As if he doesn't throw that particular piece of information at me given any opportunity," Sano growled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, we'll be family when we get married, so it's the same thing."

Filing away that particular tidbit to use on Gilbert later (these boys were going to _stop_ driving her crazy, and that was that) Mizuki focused on what was the more important of the two statements, in her opinion.

"Married? You're talking like it's next week, and you haven't even proposed yet? Aren't you getting a bit ahead here?"

"I was going to! This afternoon, in fact! Which is why I didn't want _him_ here messing things up." The words seemed to have been blurted out almost involuntarily in his irritation, but that didn't change their impact on Mizuki (sledgehammer like, in fact).

She blinked at him.

Sano's brain seemed to have caught back up to his mouth, if his disgruntled expression and current shade of red were any indication.

"I. Wait. I didn't. Crap!"

Mizuki stared at her rather ruffled beloved who stared back at her, wondered if the baffled look he wore mirrored her own expression, and tentatively cleared her throat.

"So, um, is it okay if I say yes? If that, um, was a proposal?"

"Er, ah, yeah."

Cue more blinking, on both their parts this time (and wow, wasn't this entirely more awkward than she'd thought it would be?). Sano seemed to have rather abruptly gotten over his snit at Gilbert, and Mizuki somehow couldn't bring herself to be mad at him anymore.

"Um, should we go tell my parents?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Just as calmly as they'd entered the house, only a few (insanely long) minutes before, they returned outside to spring some news on her unsuspecting parents, but Mizuki couldn't help but to note to herself, '_We are really going to have to work on this jealousy thing, though. Right after I kick Gilbert's butt.'_

* * *

AN the second: Honestly, I just couldn't see these two having a "normal" proposal given their personal history. Of course, I might be biased, considering my proposal wasn't exactly "normal" either. (Hubby had the important phrase written on an ice-cream cake. And then I called him stupid. Okay, the exact response was "Are you stupid? Of course I will." Ahhh, good times.)


	26. Push

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Title: Push

Theme: #23, candy

AN: Just a hair over 100 words. I'm betting if you're reading fanfic, you are most likely familiar with Japanese Valentine's Day customs. If not, then just do a wikipedia search. Also, this takes place during vol. 21 (the giving of Valentine's Candy scene, to be specific).

Disclaimer: All characters are property of Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations. This fanwork is not intended for profit.

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Sano was fed up.

Funny that a tiny bag of chocolate could destroy his resolve.

Sweets usually affected him strangely, so he guessed the candy had made him crazy—except he hadn't eaten any yet.

Maybe it was just Mizuki that made him crazy.

Mizuki and her innocent bag of chocolate covered almonds presented on Valentine's Day. A day when the giving of chocolate could mean something. And since she certainly wasn't obligated to him for anything, he could only assume that she might love him just as he loved her.

He wanted to know for sure.

He had to know for sure.

If he said anything, he risked destroying the fragile balance of their relationship; he risked toppling the fragile house of cards Mizuki erected around herself to disguise her secrets. They'd spent so long edging around each other, careful to keep away from any topic that might send them tumbling into the unknown, that he wasn't sure how either of them would deal with the fallout.

He wanted to know.

He had to know.

He took a deep breath and pushed.


	27. Basic Math

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Title: Basic Math

Theme: #12, in a good mood

AN: Hooboy. Writing in the voice of a toddler was rather interesting, especially since I have no experience with them. Anywho, the name for Mizuki and Sano's kid means "treasure" and is a tribute to my good friend Kashuneko, who used the name in her fics "All Knotted Up" and "Years Away From What I Need." You should read them if you haven't already—excellent AUs (/shameless plug). Also, only one kiss left before I'm done!!!

Disclaimer: Characters are the property of Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations. This fanwork is not intended for profit.

-------------------------------------

Takara was _not_ in a good mood.

Fishie, her favoritest present from Uncle Shu, was _gone_ when she got up this morning. She and mommy looked and looked and looked, but Fishie was _gone._

Then instead of going to the park like they usually did, mommy took her to visit with Aki and over at Aki's mommy's house to play all morning, and that was lots of fun. But mommy came back when they were about to go to park and get on the swings and then they didn't go after all. She and Aki's mommy just sat there and talked and talked and talked, and Aki's mommy even _cried_. And then they went home even though she asked and asked if they could go to the swings.

At lunch mommy wouldn't let her have a big girl cup like she wanted. She made her use the sippy cup with fishies, which was her favorite but it reminded her that she lost Fishie, so she was sad. And she didn't like sippy cups 'cause they were for _babies._

Plus mommy wanted her to take a nap even though she wasn't tired _at all_ and wanted to go swing on the swings at the park instead. So then they went outside to walk, and mommy wouldn't let her walk Doggie all by herself even though she knew she could.

So Takara was definitely _not_ in a good mood.

Mizuki was not in a good mood either. Currently her daughter was parked in her high chair playing disinterestedly with the remains of her food, tired and cranky. Mizuki was sitting at the table, keeping an eye on her daughter and putting off starting the meal for herself, equally tired and cranky. Though generally dealing with Takara was a joy, today had been an exception. Admittedly, both mother and daughter had been out of sorts from the get-go, and having Sano out of town coaching the team at a meet hadn't helped.

Lost in her mental 'to-do' list for the remainder of evening, Mizuki never even heard the door open, nor the call of "I'm home," from her husband.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Takara's chant had Mizuki focusing her attention towards the doorway. She gave her husband a wan smile before fussing a bit.

"You should have called me! I would have had something ready!"

"It's no big deal. We finished up a half-day early, so I wanted to get home as soon as possible." Izumi put his bag on the table and opened it reaching inside to draw out a familiar object.

"Fishie! Fishie! Fishie!"

Izumi cocked an eyebrow at Mizuki, "I think somebody accidentally slipped this in my bag while she was helping me pack yesterday morning."

"We didn't miss it until this morning. I guess with all the upset about daddy not being here for bedtime, she didn't notice it gone."

Sano tucked the toy under his arm, wet a dishcloth, and wiped his daughter's hands clean, then handed the orange and white striped plush to Takara, who latched onto it tightly.

"Looks like both my girls have had a rough day today."

"Mmm-hmm."

Sano extracted Takara her from the high chair, picked her up, and settled her on his hip before walking over to where his wife sat, deftly balancing his daughter as she babbled excitedly to her returned toy. He leaned over and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, then turned towards the stairs.

"I'll take her up and bathe her and get her settled in. Why don't you sit there for a bit until I get back?"

"But you just got in…"

"It's okay," his voice grew fainter as he disappeared up the stairs, "I don't mind."

Mizuki propped her chin into the palm of her hand and smiled bemusedly at the retreating backs of her husband and daughter, too tired to think of any objection. After a few moments, the sound of running water overlaid the murmur of her husband's and child's voices. Unable to pry herself out of the chair and assemble a meal, Mizuki was content to sit and listen.

She blinked awake at the gentle rub of a hand down her back and focused bleary eyes on her husband's face. Her brow furrowed a bit as she wondered why he was crouched next to the kitchen table, but then she realized she'd been asleep, head pillowed on the tabletop.

"Come on. You can't stay here all night." Izumi stood up, clearly expecting her to follow suit.

Mizuki merely sat up and stretched, yawning widely, and then simply sat there swaying lightly in the chair. She smiled up at her husband and made no move to rise from her seat. He smiled back, and then scooped her up into his arms with a slight grunt of effort.

"You and your ability to sleep anywhere. I suppose I'll never understand it."

Mizuki smiled and leaned up a bit to put a smacking kiss on her husband's cheek before snuggling into his shoulder.

"Love you."

"I love you too. I don't suppose you ate anything while I gave Takara her bath?"

"Not hungry. Tired."

"You've been tired an awful lot lately."

" 'S 'cause of th' baby."

There was a little lurch as Izumi missed the first step in the staircase before regaining his footing and continuing up the stairs.

"Baby?"

"Mmm. Doctor said everthin's fine."

"Oh. Well, that's good, then."

"Mmm."

After a long silence, she felt the softness of a comforter underneath her, and let herself take the short slide back into sleep.

Mizuki sat up with a start, knowing immediately that she'd overslept―the rested feeling was a dead giveaway. By the time she got herself ready, Takara up and ready, both of them fed, and Takara dropped off at day care, she'd be decidedly late for work. She rolled off the bed, noting that she was still in her clothes from yesterday, and dashed towards the shower. After the quickest bath she could manage, and without even drying her hair, she headed towards her daughter's room, only to be brought up short by the empty crib.

Dazed, she made her way downstairs to find her daughter already up and dressed, and finishing up her breakfast under Izumi's supervision. The previously neat dress-style top was already a bit crumpled, but she was ready to go, and Mizuki could breathe a sigh of relief.

"I thought I'd give you a little extra sleep this morning."

With a rueful grin directed at herself for forgetting about her husband's unexpected arrival home, she leaned in for a good morning kiss―which of course caused Takara to start chanting "Mama kiss! Mama kiss!" at her. Mizuki had just found a clean spot on her cheek to oblige her when Izumi cleared his throat.

"So. Another one?"

"Yep. Another one."

They shared a quiet grin before turning their attention back towards their daughter and the day ahead.


	28. The Dance

AN: Sorry, but the author's note may be longer than the actual ficlet. Just to update readers on what's going to happen with the fic--I have the last chapter in progress. However, if you'll notice, I combined two themes (red, and the space between dreams and reality) in one fic. So, technically, to complete the story there would be only 28 chapters. Which kind of makes no sense for a work titles "29 kisses." So, my solution was to re-write the themes 'cradle' and 'the sound of waves' for posting to the LJ community that started this challenge in the first place (since I never liked how those kisses turned out anyway). Those two fics will be chapters 28 and 29 of "29 Kisses." The last theme, overflow, will be posted as a separate fic, which solves my other problem--since it contains mild lemon, I would have had to up the rating of all 29 kisses to mature for the sake of on chapter, which I wasn't happy with. So, the lemonish chapter will be a separate fic so that it can be rated M without messing up the teen rating for the rest of the fics (most of which are G rated anyway, the teen was for some mild cursing and a little nudity in a couple of fics). Hope this satisfies everyone. If not, sorry! It's the best solution, IMO.

Also, this is set at the Christmas Ball

* * *

Title: The Dance

Theme: #22, cradle

Within the circle of his arms, she felt beautiful and feminine—two things she hadn't felt in a very long time. She savored it as one does a piece of fine chocolate, reveling in the experience of floating around the floor, cradled firmly in his arms, her skirt swishing around their legs.

Somehow alone, even though she knew the entire populations of St. Blossom and Osaka High Schools were there with them. Lost in the circle of their own making, she was blind to the stir their dance caused among the others, deaf to the murmurs of admiration, of envy, of recognition (oh, so Sano and Ashiya are like that!). She simply enjoyed their dance together completely, never realizing any picture taken at that moment would be the portrait of young love.


	29. Jealousy

Title: Jealousy

AN: Takes place during vol. 4. Remember, this isn't the last kiss! I'll be posting a semi-smutty one separately (soon, I hope!), which will be the final kiss.

ETA (11/25/09): The last kiss is up, entitled "Lost in Her." With that, 3 years worth of work is done!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hisaya Nakajo and various corporations. This fanwork is not intended for profit.

* * *

The rush of waves and the chatter of the other beach-goers served to puncture the majority of the conversation Tamami was having with Sano, allowing her to catch only snippets―not enough to really tell her what they were talking about. However, Tamami's body language was all too clear for Mizuki's tastes. The girl clutched Sano's arm like a lifeline, alternating between using it to tug him along and crushing it between her breasts. She clung and chattered and fluttered and teased and posed and generally made it clear that she'd welcome any advances Sano sent her way.

Mizuki didn't hate Tamami. The other girl was just trying to catch the attention of the guy she liked. She knew the girl wasn't maliciously trying to hurt her. It was just―Tamami could do all of that stuff and no one would think twice about it; no one would―did―even blink at her behavior, or the two of them together. And Mizuki-the-boy couldn't do anything to intervene, no matter what she felt on the inside.

She didn't have the right to be jealous. Sano wasn't her boyfriend, could never be her boyfriend―she'd made sure of that herself by coming to Osaka in disguise. It still hurt to see them together.


End file.
